.blessed.: Twenty-Three Months

.blessed.: Twenty-Three Months: "At twenty-three months, Matthew is... sweet... Fun loving (his giggle can warm even the coldest of hearts, I am certain...) and so c..."

Crafty crafty...

For as long as I can remember, I have had the "crafting bug". I did however, set aside any crafting desires while I was in college. Working on a VEISHEA float never seemed exciting. Painting a square for homecoming? I'd rather study. Practice dancing for lip sync? I'd rather tear cartilage in my knee (oh wait, that happened). I mean, I was studying to get a degree in accounting and accountants are not creative.

Then, once I graduated and joined the corporate ranks, I only had to live at work 80 hours a week. So, again, outside of the occasional scrapbooking, I did not get too creative.

But, I am really wanting to learn to sew and tackle some fun projects. May I present sewing project #1:

Burp cloths, given as a gift to a close friend (she had a boy)...

I pre-washed the material and was totally bummed when it came out of the dryer and to me looked worn out already. I think next time I will use a different material. Crafty friends, any suggestions?

I thought this was a great beginner project because I had to teach myself how to thread the machine and the bobbin (and yes, I was even bright enough to use white stiching on the bottom and match the top stitching to the material). Oh, and professional sewers and home-ec teachers (Heidi), forgive me for my lack of technical terminology here. And, all I have to use right now is a mini-machine that is basically good for hemming a pair of pants (maybe).

I can't wait to tackle my next sewing project, but for right now, it is top secret!

(Oh, and for the record, I used said sewing machine to create 

this onesie to match a tutu that I made for Claire's first birthday...)

Drop Everything...

Yes, drop everything. I scrapbooked today. For about five minutes. Since that is how long both boys napped simultaneously. Seriously, there were a jillion things that needed done around here today and I told myself, as soon as the boys are napping, I'm ignoring everything else and scrapbooking.

You see that little baby face? If you asked "Isn't that Matthew?" You'd be right. If you said "but he's turning two in a couple of weeks, and those are pictures of a six-month-old". You'd be right again, you're on a roll! Yes, that is how far behind I am on a scrapbooking. My goal, to finish the photo layouts and journaling on Matthew's year-one scrapbook before he turns two!

This just reinforces my desire to blog. At least when I am behind on paper, I can come back to the blog when I need to journal. While the memories of Matthew being six-months-old seem so far gone, as soon as I come back to the photos I can relive those memories so vividly. Here's to getting caught up! (Someone, please, tell me you are as far behind on scrapbooking as I am. Did I mention I have yet to scrapbook our wedding and that was over four years ago? Woops.)

.blessed.: Four Months

.blessed.: Four Months: "This entry is way past due... {Um... the dog ate my homework?} Owen was four months old on November 5th... That is 1/3 of a year. Excuse me..."

Talking Back... Teenage Years

Heidi's Talk To Me Tuesday question is:

If you could tell your teenage self anything, what would it be?

Talk less, listen more (what, I'm still going to be working on this at 28?).

Don't gossip, it doesn't make you any friends.

Care less what other people think, and more about what God thinks.

Don't date {fill in the name of all high school boyfriends}, 

he doesn't treat you the way you deserve.

Save your hard earned money and let it burn a hole in your pocket. You'll wish you had.

Pray first.

So far today...

The little men in my life and I stayed with my sister this weekend, and we were able to do so many fun things in a short period of time! The boys got lots of quality time in with their aunt while Jon and I went to the {heartbreaking} ISU/Nebraska game. On Sunday I was able to head back to my sorority house for Founder's Day and realize that I.don't.know.anyone.there. Oh, and that... my clothes and shoes are not cute. Being there made me want to go shopping (and add a couple inches to the collegians' skirts). We enjoyed a Sunday afternoon with friends and this morning we joined my former Bible study girls for a couple of hours.

I knew I missed that group of gals, tremendously, but didn't realize just how much until I had to fight back tears on the drive home (don't get me wrong, I'm not changing my tune from my previous post, I just realllllllly miss seeing those gals every week). We just had GREAT encouraging conversation. Afterward, one of our friends sent us an e-mail with various prayers/quotes in the message and one just made me laugh. It is cute, and well, oh so true... So, I just felt the need to share it tonight:

Dear Lord, 

So far today, I am doing all right.

I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, selfish, or self-indulgent.

I have not whined, complained, cursed, or eaten any chocolate. I have charged nothing on my credit card. 

But, I will be getting out of bed in a minute, and I think that I will really need your help then.

"...but you have chosen the BEST thing."

So, I'll confess, last Saturday I had a moment where I said out loud "sometimes I just need a day of from being 'Mom'". Don't get me wrong, not a day from being a mom, I absolutely realize how abundantly blessed I am to have beautiful healthy boys. Just a day off from the "SAHM" role, the ability to put my Masters degree to use and provide for my family financially. I know that many people think that being a SAHM must be way easier than being a working mom, but I think both are equally challenging for their own set of circumstances - a whole different conversation for a totally different place...

But, yesterday when I logged on to facebook a fellow SAHM-friend had posted a status about how blessed she was to be at home with her children, and how it wasn't glamorous, it wasn't always easy and often goes unrecognized. That caught my attention but what grabbed my attention was a response from her friend that said,

"You're doing the most important work in the world! 

You are providing for your children in a way that no one else in the world can. 

You are shaping the future not only for your boys, 

but for everyone and everything they influence throughout their lives. 

You are planting the seeds of godliness with every gentle touch, loving word, need met, laugh, 

and even by disciplining them. 

You are an amazing, gifted woman, {Mom}. 

You could do anything, 

but you have chosen the BEST thing."

I don't know this person, and she wasn't talking about me. But reading this was like God speaking right to my heart. I'll take a days full of tantrums, poopy diapers, chicken nuggets, goldfish crackers, snotty noses, new milestones, big hugs, fish kisses, Aveeno bath wash, day-old-milk filled sippy cups in the corner, Matchbox cars, new words, and pure handsomeness over extra money, shopping till I drop, etc any day! Bring it on hand-me-downs!

.blessed.: October - In Pictures

.blessed.: October - In Pictures: "When you are behind on scrapbooking, don't 'they' always say to work on your most recent happenings first and work backwards so that you don..."

Talking Back... Reliving One Day

Heidi's "Talk to me Tuesday" question is: If you could relive one day of your life, what day would it be and why? (Major milestones excluded). I seriously want to break the rules on this, but I will try to muster something else up. The first thing I think of outside of our wedding and the births of our children is the day I met Jon, because of so many days in my life that is one that I remember so vividly! Such a simple day, but I always say that on that day I never would have guessed I would spend the rest of my life with him. {I'm saving the details, just in case a related question arises on a future Tuesday!}

Thinking back to that day, this morning, I went back to the oldest digital pictures that I have on my computer and found a photo from our first months of dating. This photo is from January of 2005, it has been over six years since we started dating; Jon looks so young to me. I feel like I look the same, but have just made better hair decisions (haha!).

Then (January 2005)

Now (November 2010)